Music Industry News

Vandals deface 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' icon

Source: Michael Ricci
July 14, 2009

If terms like “street art" seem a little disingenuous, I have to admit graffiti was never an issue that has really upset me much. But some jerks going at the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign Monday really upset me and a lot of people I have spoken to about this vandalism.

Like many cities, we have graffiti everywhere, but no one has ever vandalized the welcome sign before in the memory of anyone I reached, and it seems ...

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Solal in Action

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
July 14, 2009

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LaToya Jackson: Michael Was 'Murdered'

Source: All About Jazz
July 13, 2009

Speaking out for the first time, the grieving sister of Michael Jackson says she thinks “a shadowy entourage" led to the death of her brother, accusing them of “murdering" him.

Speaking with Britain's Daily Mail, LaToya Jackson -- who signed the King of Pop's death certificate -- says that Michael was an isolated figure, making him easy prey for greedy associates. She accuses these people, whether it be doctors, handlers or assistants, of feeding Jackson drugs to control his moods ...

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Michael Jackson's Health Records Are Subpoenaed

Source: Michael Ricci
July 13, 2009

Multiple doctors are being asked by the L.A. County coroner's office to provide information on the singer's treatments.

Investigators trying to determine how Michael Jackson died are faced with the daunting task of creating an accurate medical biography for a superstar whose ailments, surgeries and doctors have been tabloid fodder for three decades.

Jackson has seen more than a dozen doctors since 1993, according to various public records and accounts, and investigators are now collecting as much medical data about ...

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Leonard Cohen Asks for Brief Halt to New Covers of Hallelujah

Source: All About Jazz
July 12, 2009

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen has asked for a brief respite from new versions of his classic Hallelujah, arguing the large number of artists covering the song and its frequent appearance on soundtracks amounts to overkill.

I was reading a review of a movie called Watchmen that uses it, and the reviewer said, Can we please have a moratorium on Hallelujah in movies and television shows? and I kind of feel the same way. I think ...

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There's Still a Place Where Albums Outsell Singles

Source: HypeBot
July 10, 2009

Many say that the album is dead and they have the proof. According to Nielsen SoundScan, sales of individual digital tracks led digital album sales by 16 to 1 (1.07 billion to 65 million) in 2008.

But there ares still places where the album reins supreme. Digital delivery and marketing platform Bandcamp says that their albums outsell tracks 2 to 1. 66% of paid downloads on Bandcamp are for albums, compared to only about 6% for the greater Nielsen reporting ...

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The End of the Era of Celebrity?

Source: HypeBot
July 10, 2009

The death of Michael Jackson has given voice again to the chorus claiming that the era of the celebrity is over. There fall of mass media and the rise of niche sub-cultures would seem to preclude future megastars. But Creative Class author Richard Florida writing for The Atlantic says that just the opposite may be true: “The big mistake of most chroniclers of popular culture is that they see only one side of digital technology. It ...

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Beacon Article Spotlights Local Cabaret Scene

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
July 10, 2009

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